The Other Jack
by GodOfImagination98
Summary: Halloween was the day that people enjoyed fear. They made everything scary and dark and horrible, but it was all for the purpose of having fun. Not to be feared. In this way, they mocked fear. They were saying, 'Look, we're not afraid of you. This is great fun, and you're not stopping us. Go away, for you can't ever scare us. Ha' So where was the Guardian of Halloween?
1. prologue

Greetings, reader. We meet again.

Ummm. Yea. That all i have to say. I'm new to writing about Guardians.

Pitch says that was a bit awkward. Go away, loser.

Oh, one thing. There's an OC. So if you don't like other people's OCs, like me, stop reading right here.

...or you could just read on, if you have a few minutes to spare.

* * *

Halloween Eve. Pitch Black's least favorite time of the year had come again.

'Why is that?' You might ask. 'Halloween must be his favorite time, because he's the Boogeyman!'

I'll tell you why. Halloween was the day that people enjoyed fear. They made everything scary and dark and horrible, but it was all for the purpose of having fun. Not to be feared. In this way, they_ mocked _fear. They were saying, 'Look, we're not afraid of you. This is great fun, and you're not stopping us. Go away, for you can't ever scare us. Ha!'

In the center of it all stood Stingy Jack, the Jester of All Hallow's Eve. Jack O' Lantern, as he was more commonly known as. He was the greatest enemy of Pitch, the one being Pitch feared more than sandman. No matter What pitch did, he could not find Jack's fear. All he found in Jack's glowing, jagged grin was his own fears, over and over again. Every Halloween Eve, Stingy Jack never failed to mock him, find his weaknesses, strip him of all his pride, and reduce him to nothing.

The one thing of comfort to Pitch was that Jack was not a guardian. At least, not anymore.

Jack loved children, and would protect them with all his heart. He adored the sight of them screaming in delight and running around, trying to best fear. He scared children out of their wits, gave them treats, tidied their haphazard costumes, and made jokes about Pitch with them. In that way, he was one of the best Guardians.

But Jack had a fatal flaw. As a jester, he couldn't take anything sincerely. As a result, his colleagues could tolerate it no longer, and he was deprived of his place as a guardian of childhood, on Christmas Eve, 1806.

During those 200 years, children gradually forgot the tall, lanky, pumpkin-headed man, who teased them and laughed with them and gave them treats. They forgot that fear could be made fun of, and that fear couldn't do anything about it. Only on Halloween did they remember to denounce Pitch and his fearlings and enjoy it.

But they couldn't see Jack anymore. And Halloween wasn't as exciting as it used to be 200 years ago.

As for Jack's whereabouts, who knows? Not a single soul had caught a glimpse of the bright yellow eyes, the jagged grin, and the crooning voice for the past two centuries. Stingy Jack had become no more than a mere article on Wikipedia.

And that, readers, was the prologue.


	2. Chapter 1

**Jack has a damn COCKNEY! *applause to self***

**He's a 'undredfold more fun to write with now. Sorry if you can't understand the accent.**

* * *

A man walked by Pitch. Pitch didn't notice him. The man sighed, and looked up.

His round head was a bright orange pumpkin. His large eyes were a luminous yellow, along with the jagged opening he had carved himself for a mouth. He was wearing a white tunic, a pair of purple gloves and pants, and pointed shoes. A pointed hat with a wide brim, complete with a red feather, cast a gloomy shadow over his face.

Jack of Lanterns started whistling wearily. The ghostly tune reverberated around the cold streets, misty with morning fog. He absentmindedly adjusted a fake cobweb on someone's porch. The jolly spring in his step he had 200 years ago was missing, along with his trademark grin.

* * *

Easter. The Guardians were drenched with despair. Jack Frost had let them down miserably. They were at a loss.

"North..." Tooth said, frowning. "Is it just me, or did the remaining black streaks in your hair turn white?"

North chuckled. "Your feathers, too. Oh, bunny! At speed you're shrinking right now, you'll be little Sophie's doll!"

"Yeah, mate..." Bunnymund replied absentmindedly. In his recent shock, he didn't seem to register that he had indeed decreased drastically in height. Phil, the Yeti, waved a heavily tufted paw in front of the bunny's blank visage. Bunny covered his face protectively. "Get that outta my face, ye giant feather duster!"

Tooth started to fret. "Maybe we should go looking for Jack."

"Ain't gonna work, sister. He doesn't want to be seen, he _can't _be seen." Bunnymund replied. "I should know."

They both looked at North, who was clutching his belly with concentration. He suddenly smiled and exclaimed, "Aha! I know. First, we find Jack-"

Bunnymund sat up, knocking back the stool he had been sitting on. "Listen here, Are ye damn retarded or-"

North covered the Easter spirit's mouth with a mammoth hand and whispered, "Jack o' Lantern."

The other two guardians' eyes widened. Santa laughed at their response. "It is excellent plan, no? Now, we need to figure out how find him. I suggest..." He thought for a moment. "We send private call."

He started to walk over to the Globe console, but Bunny held him back. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What if he doesn't want to help? Or he decides to help, but jokes around and messes things up? Remember Christmas of 1804? You yerself noted it the most bodgy Christmas of all time!"

North sighed. "Please, can we not talk about Christmas 1804? I get headaches and bellyaches. Besides, If we don't call Jack, what else can we do?"

And before anyone could protest, North pushed the orange button.

Bunnymund groaned. "Ohhh Noooooo..."

Tooth laughed feebly. "Well, on the bright side, Jack Frost will look like he's as good as gold after this!"

After that, nothing remained in the silent air except fora slight feeling of doubt, which seemed to expand like a gradually inflating balloon which would explode at any given moment.

They waited.

The fireplace let out a vicious crackle, and the three guardians jumped. Standing in front of them was the slender figure of Jack o' Lantern. His large yellow eyes surveyed them tiredly.

"What?" He asked, in a bored voice. "I've been lying flat on my stomach, nuthink for over two centuries, word of 'onor."

He righted his askew head on his shoulders and slumped into the nearest couch. "And remember, if you want 'elp, the anser's NO. Not in a bill'on years."

Bunnymund let out another groan.

North glared at him, then asked Jack with his kindest voice, "You won't help us defeat Pitch?"

Jack lowered the brim of his hat over his closed eyes. "Nyup."

"If we lose, the children of the world-"

"en't believe in me. They forgot durin' the past two 'undred years, whe'rev you bin?"

Tooth giggled behind her hands.

North continued."What if I tell you...the guardians get children to believe in you again if you help?"

"Wut?" He sat up and frowned. "An' 'xacly 'ow you gonna do that?"

"Simple." North smiled. "We ask Manny. But first, you fight."

"Well, I could use a strech or two." Jack stood up. the corners of his jagged mouth curved upwards for the first time in centuries. Everyone could sense the old Jack of Lanterns returning to mock the "ol' boog back undr the bed."

"When do we begin?" He asked.


	3. Chapter 2

**All right, so with the ski trip over, I can finally get back to work on this undeveloped story. But as much as I want to keep going, I can't think of the perfect way to guide it to the wonderful ending I've been imagining for the past few days. So, until the ideas start to hit me, the chapters that follow will be a series of random one-shots about Jack o' Lantern. I'm not sure how long this will continue, but it won't be long, I assure you. Stay tuned.**

* * *

**EASTER, 1804**

Bunny bounded down the earthly tunnels, a steady stream of eggs beneath him. He stopped and gathered a few dozen, and leaped out of the nearest opening. As quick as a summer breeze, he hid the colorful eggs in bushes, under benches, among thick turfs of vibrant green grass, and many other places not easily seen from the adults' view, but found easily by young children. Although he had a lot of work lest, he hid behind a thick tawny growth of arrowwood and watched the delighted children searching for the hidden eggs.

He didn't expect to see the children to find rubber eyeballs and plastic spiders instead of chocolates and sweets in the eggs.

Suddenly, the world seemed to explode. A deluge of sound, white noise at its maximum level, filled his ears, and he cried out and tumbled out of the bush and into the grass, clutching his ears in surprise and pain. The children stopped and stared at the haphazard ball of fur.

A few seconds later, Bunnymund uncurled slightly and found himself in front of a whole town's worth of toddlers, many looking bewildered and on the verge of bursting into delightful exclamations at having confirmed the existence of the Easter Bunny.

"Hehe..." He laughed nervously. Then he gathered himself and jumped into the ground. In his hurry, he knocked his chin on the opening painfully.

"Owch!" He massaged it painfully.

"Hehe indeed." A soft voice said into one of his ears. He jumped and turned around. The slim figure of Stingy Jack crouched behind him, his grin glowing faintly in the dark.

"YOU-" The Easter spirit burst into a volley of curses which were thankfully not heard by the children above their heads and the soft-minded people reading this story. When he had finished, Jack wiped his face clean of spit and said happily, "Is that all?"

"NO DEFINITELY _NOT-"_

"Good. Because I'm not finished, either." His grin widened wickedly, seeing Bunny's face screwing up with outrage. Before he could do anything, Jack was out of the tunnel and running away. Bunnymund gritted his teeth and bounded after the jester. He felt their distance closing rapidly, and smirked, knowing nobody could outrun him when he was in his tunnels.

When he sensed Jack was right above him, he jumped out of the tunnel and slammed his body into Jack. A small jolt of surprise ran through him. He had expected to collide with a skinny mass, but it was much softer...fur?

He felt himself being lifted into the air by his leather belt, and a familiar voice said menacingly, "And who might you be, faking me on my own holiday, huh?"

It was his very own self, complete to the last weathered grey fur on the long ears. It was a costume.

"Jack o' Lantern, of course. You ain't be slipping out of this one, mate, So get that costume off before we do things he hard way." A costume, complete with a voice.

Bunny bared his teeth. "This isn't funny, you lil' bastard. Why can't ya just leave me alone for one day a year?"

It was true; Bunny was a grouch even back then, and Jack was not one to leave anybody within a mile radius grouchy. He was constantly testing Bunny's patience, all year long, and though nobody noticed, Bunny was suffering from it. Jack wasn't one to notice, unfortunately.

Jack sighed, the corners of his mouth twitching with a barely contained grin. "Fine. If ya persist..."

He gripped the real Bunnymund's arm and pulled out one of North's snow globes.

"Take us to the North pole."

A second later, they tumbled out onto the floor in front of the great furry abominable mass of a yeti. It grunted in surprise at seeing two identical Easter bunnies, and lumbered off to inform his master, muttering, "Garblurba asdfghjkl bfanigoute..."

Jack dragged Bunny to his feet and said in a loud voice, "C'mon,_ you lil' bastard. _Let's see what North thinks about yer overly naughty antics."

They followed the yeti, who noticed and gestured for them to wait. After a minute or so, he was back with North.

"What in name of Бог(god, russian) is this?" North bellowed. "One overbig rabbit is enough, Now there is two!"

The real Bunny opened his mouth, but Jack was faster. "Don' worry yerself. This 'un is in costume."

Jack gripped a handful of Bunnymund's fur. To his horror, Bunnymund felt it coming off like a loose robe and saw Jack's attire in its place.

"Now, the problem is, what shall we do with him?" Jack said. That was when Bunny cracked.

"ENOUGH!" He roared. His-Jack's-voice broke up like a bad radio signal, and his costume flickered, as well as Jack's. All the elves and yetis stopped and stared.

"I CAN'T STAND IT ANY LONGER! I _WON'T_! HE BLOODY TORTURES ME ALL YEAR, THEN COMES ALONG AND BOTCHES MY DAY LIKE IT'S A TEA PARTY!" His body bristled with rage. "He doesn't know his goddamn LIMITS! Did _I_ ever do a SINGLE thing to your bloody Halloween? Did _I_ treat you like a bloody test subject for your sick jokes? Eh? ANSWER ME, YOU GREAT BLOODY PUMPKIN!"

Jack looked genuinely shocked. North just stood and observed. Bunny exhaled, a long, drawn-out sigh. Then he stood up and turned his back on the two.

"North," He muttered, "Make sure He doesn't show himself in front of me ever again."

Bunny never spoke to Jack again.


	4. Chapter 3

**Well, did you like that? I really do want your opinion. Doesn't matter if you don't favrite/sbscribe, just leave behind some brief, honest critiques.**

**I decided to write most of these episodes to take place in 1804. ****Today, we're going to talk about Jack's relations with Sandman. BTW, Sandman's a personal favorite of mine. He's such fun to write!**

* * *

**5 months after Easter of 1804**

He cackled to himself as he fished a small, orange pumpkin from his pockets, would up the stalk, and placed it beside the sleeping child's pillow. It sat there, ticking quietly and emitting a faint glow. Then he tiptoed to the window and slid under it out into the cold night air. The steady stream of golden sand brushed his shoulder lightly, and the mental debate that he had subdued with effort broke out vehemently.

_'...But this was the greatest thing he had done in decades! That was enough to miff his guilt.'_

_'But sandman was the only one who was kind to him. He in return liked the dream-maker, and generally tried to avoid playing tricks that might hinder him in his duties.'_

_'What he had just finished setting up was done with much consideration, though, an entire forty-eight seconds of thought, and in the end, the idea was too good to waste.'_

He wiped these thoughts aside, jumped up to the nearest roof, and counted the seconds in his head.

_'5...4...3...2...1.'_

The silence of the night was pierced by the screams of children, which were soon replaced by excited laughter and fervent giggling. Jack joined in and cackled blissfully.

He looked up and saw a comet of dream sand hurtling towards him at a dizzying speed. It hit him painfully in the chest, propelling him skyward. He was thrown up and was suspended at a nauseous height for a second or two before free-falling toward the ground. He considered summoning his will-o-wisps, then decided against it, for he trusted Sandy, even in situations as extreme as these.

Sure enough, a few seconds before impact, a wide cloud of sand materialized beneath him, and he landed with a soft _pfff_ and a puff of sand. He stood up groggily, a faint smile still plastered on his face, took off his head, emptied it of sand, and put it back on.

A golden swirl formed beside him to reveal Sandy, arms crossed, a furious expression on his face. He advanced upon Jack.

The other reason Jack and Sandy were so close was because each understood the other perfectly. Jack was the most fluent of the guardians when it came to dream sand language, and Sandy interpreted Jack's unfathomable intentions clearly. Right now, Jack could read the flick-click-click of images above Sandy's head displaying immense anger and annoyance, although it was more of a grumbling under his breath than meaning something conversational. Then it dispersed into the sand beneath Jack's feet; the equivalent of a sigh.

An awkward silence filled the air. Wind blew through Jack's head, making it resonate with a hollow whistle. Sparse sounds of traffic drifted up from below them. Sandy glared at him, long and hard, and a fist formed above his head._ Revenge._ But not of spiteful intent, Jack hoped.

He smiled sheepishly, then whistled a long, quavering note. A dozen or more glowing streams of greenish-blue whirled to him like shooting stars, and he grabbed them by their smoking tails. They chatted in his mind, 'Where to go, where, where to go to where, Jack, Jack of Lanterns, master, Where?'

'Oh, I dunno. Somewhere with sunshine. I can't bear the moon on me back.' He thought back.

Their voices filled his empty head, sounding like echoes. 'Sunshine, sunshine, Jack wants go to sunshine, no moon, moon, no moon...'

They rushed through the night air, dream sand starting to flow down regularly again around them toward the children who needed it most.

He squinted. What was that up ahead, suspended in the air? And why was it getting so unnaturally colder?

'Sunshine, no moon, no moon, no-'

Jack interrupted the will-o-wisps. 'Sumthing up ahead, boys. Slow down for a mo'. ' They heeded him obediently, and stopped a few yards short from the object in the air.

It was a boy. He looked to be about 15 or older, with pale skin and snow-white hair. He wore a cape made of some animal skin and matching pants. No shoes, but a gnarled wooden staff, curved at one end, was in his hands, as bare and pale as his feet. He was looking at the moon, his back turned to face Jack o' Lantern.

'Why? What? Who? Where? There? What should we do? What is that? Who is that?' The voices whispered to him. Jack hesitated, then whispered back, 'Turn invisible, boys. We'll find out who Mr. Snow White there is shortly. Like I always says, pranks are best fur gettin' to know yer strangers.'He concentrated, willing himself to turn into the Man in the Moon. Then he stopped himself, and summoned the moon's voice, but not his appearance.

'_Why are you looking upon me, child?'_ Jack said, in the voice of the moon.

The boy blinked. His eyes were deep turquoise-blue, like a frozen lake beneath which someone had lit up a bright light. They were wide with surprise, and then narrowed with anger.

_'Well, first, maybe cause you CREATED me, that's why. And I've been trying to talk to you for the past century, with no response whatsoever. Maybe you should think before asking stupid questions like that.'_

Of course, this was all being shouted inside the boy's head, and Jack o' Lantern wondered for a moment if he was mute. But he realized he wasn't listening with the ears of MiM, and when he did realize and listen, he caught only the last sentence.

He cursed, under his breath, and in the cold night air, it turned into a small puff of white smoke. The boy noticed. He tensed and aimed his staff towards the now dissipating puff of Jack's breath. One of the will-o-wisps gave an involuntary squeak, which Jack hastily muffled.

"Who's there?" The boy asked. "Show yourself!"

Jack breathed furiously to the will-o-wisps, 'C'mon, boys! Sneak around, real quiet, behind him, and let's show him what a costume is, eh?'

Jack Frost glided to the spot in the air which Jack o' Lantern had occupied a moment ago and nudged it with his stick apprehensively.

"There's nobody there, frostbrains." A lazy voice said behind him. He whirled around.

Standing there was an exact likeness of himself.


End file.
